


Crossroads

by FireStorm1991



Series: Crossroads [1]
Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Human, Angst, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Loss, Loss of Parent(s), Potential Triggers, Romance, Suicidal Thoughts, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:02:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 19,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27476980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FireStorm1991/pseuds/FireStorm1991
Summary: She's living in luxury, his life is hell. But maybe they have more in common than he thought.Original FFN Run: October 6, 2011 - November 11, 2011
Relationships: Bulma Briefs/Vegeta
Series: Crossroads [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2007748
Comments: 7
Kudos: 20





	1. Meet Vegeta

**Author's Note:**

> This was my first Vegebul fic back in the day. Hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or the characters

A glass shattered after it hit the wall of a living room in a home downtown.

"Get out of here you good-for-nothing, lazy kid and don't come back!"

A teenaged boy slammed the front door shut and walked aimlessly through the city. He would eventually end up at the homeless shelter and stay for a night, until his father would call his cell and demand him to run some errand or return home. It became his normal routine seven years prior. Already angered, the boy thought against the trip down memory lane. He didn't want to cause a scene.

The boy ended up at a cemetery and stopped in front of one of the graves. A rare tear escaped him.

 _Why did you have to go?_ he thought, placing his hand atop the tombstone. Sighing heavily, he continued his trek to the shelter.

"Hey, Vegeta, you're back?" Goku asked. Goku was Vegeta's best friend since forever and volunteered at the homeless shelter often. Vegeta grunted the affirmative. Goku sighed. "I don't understand why you just don't come stay with my family. You know my parents wouldn't mind."

Vegeta had been offered this many times and had really wanted to take him up on the offer, but what was the point when the drunken bastard would just seek him out. He'd be forced back home and probably punished for disloyalty or some such nonsense.

"It's fine, Kakarot," Vegeta responded using his friend's nickname. "Tell your parents thanks for me."

Goku sighed but gave Vegeta a blanket for one of the spare beds. "Have you eaten at all?" he asked.

Vegeta nodded. "That's actually why I'm here. The jerk drank his taste buds numb and said it was my fault for not flavoring the meat enough."

"I'm sorry." Vegeta glared at him. He hated it when people pitied him. "I know…no apologizing. It's just that you're my friend and you don't deserve that."

Vegeta took the blanket and went to one of the beds. He lied down, stared out the window, and watched the start of a rainstorm. No, he didn't deserve how his father treated him, but Goku would never know the extent of it. Contemplating his next move for the morning, Vegeta closed his eyes and succumbed to the nightmares that usually plagued him.


	2. Meet Bulma

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or the characters

“Wow, it’s really pouring out there,” an elderly man said.

“Oh, yes, dear. It’s so pretty. Maybe we should go to the lake and watch it rain there. What do you think, sweetie?” a blonde woman asked.

She looked to a young girl with blue hair dressed in black; sitting in the backseat of their car she listened to her iPod. The girl shrugged and the blonde woman sighed.

“Bulma, dear, everything’s going to be okay now. I promise you that,” she said.

Bulma looked away, pretending that she didn’t hear the woman even though she had. She watched the streets as they passed by.

 _So, this is my new home? And I thought the last place was dreary,_ she thought.

They made it to a large house in the uptown area. The man and woman showed her around the house and led her to where her room was.

“We had the movers bring all your stuff here, but told them to leave it so you can unpack and decorate the room any way you wanted,” Dr. Briefs said.

Bulma looked at him but remained unresponsive. She looked back at the blank walls and then back at Dr. and Mrs. Briefs.

“Would you like me to get you some paint so you can paint the room?” Mrs. Briefs asked. “We know you like to draw and paint.”

Bulma nodded and set down her bag on the bed.

“Well, we’ll leave you to it,” Dr. Briefs said. “You start school tomorrow, but we’ll talk about that when you’re done getting settled in.”

The two left the young girl to herself. She closed the door and turned to the boxes.

 _I hate this!_ she thought. _New place, new home, new people…same old life._


	3. Crossing Paths

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or the characters

Once morning hit, Vegeta left the shelter. It was early enough that he could still make it to school, not that he minded. It was the best distraction. What bothered him was the fact that he didn't have a change of clothes. No matter, though, since he still had a little money left over from the odd jobs he was always doing.

He quickly went to a cheap clothes store and got a new set of clothes. Vegeta felt like half of his clothes were new since this happened quite often.

 _Hn, I better start leaving a bag of supplies or something at the front door to grab next time I get kicked out,_ he thought.

* * *

On his way to school, Vegeta decided to stop by the cemetery again, but this time when he got to his mother's grave, he saw a girl he didn't know standing there. He had never seen her around the city before, nor had he when he was younger.

"Do you always stand at the gravesites of strangers?" he asked, causing the girl to jump.

She turned and looked at him, but said nothing before looking back. That irritated Vegeta, and he walked over and forced her to turn around. She wouldn't look him in the eye.

"I asked you a question, girl. Now answer."

She opened her mouth to speak, but Mrs. Briefs walked up.

"Oh, Bulma dear, I finished up here," Mrs. Briefs said. She had come to visit a relative of hers and Bulma wandered around until she stopped at this particular site. "Oh, did you make a friend? What's your name?"

Vegeta was a little taken back at how someone could be so cheerful in a cemetery. He looked down at the girl who he now knew as Bulma, but she was still looking away from him. He then remembered that the woman asked him a question.

"Vegeta," he finally answered. Bulma looked up at him as Mrs. Briefs told her she'd be waiting in the car.

"Do you go to the high school, too, Vegeta?" He nodded. "Then I'd be happy to give you a ride. I'll be waiting."

When Mrs. Briefs left, he looked back to Bulma whose eyes were spilling with silent tears. He let her pull away from him and turn back to his mother's grave.

 _What the hell?_ he shouted in his head. This made absolutely no sense to him. Then he saw what she was looking at. Vegeta had had the tombstone inscribed with the words "I'll love you forever, mother." It was fine since he had pretty much been the one to pay for everything with some money she had left for him and the money he made from the odd jobs. It took him two years before he could actually get it, though. His father was useless.

But in any case, why was it making her sad? She hadn't known his mother and from the looks of it, her mother was alive and well.

"What's wrong?" he reluctantly asked. Bulma looked back at him, but still said nothing.

After a few minutes of silence and worrying whether or not Mrs. Briefs was going to show back up, she finally said, "We better go. And please, don't tell her I said anything, okay?"

Vegeta was in shock. Not only did she have a beautiful voice, but now she didn't want her mother to know that she was talking to anyone? Just who was this girl?

* * *

They made it out of the cemetery in one piece and got into Mrs. Briefs' car. She started happily chattering about all the things they were planning to do with Bulma, and Vegeta could tell that they were very wealthy. Yet, Bulma still looked unhappy and was just as unresponsive. After a couple times of receiving no answer from Bulma, the chattering finally stopped. There was an awkward silence until they finally reached the school.

"Now Bulma, if you have any problems, you let us know. Otherwise, I'm sure today will be a great, fresh start for you. Make lots of friends and I'll see you at home, okay?"

Bulma simply nodded and got her backpack out of the car. Vegeta thanked Mrs. Briefs for the ride and followed Bulma in. She was looking around the crowded hallway, wondering where she needed to go.

"If you're looking for the office, it's this way," he said. "It's on the way to my first class. Let's go."

Bulma nodded and whispered, "Thank you."

He shrugged as she followed him. Bulma was surprised that this stranger who was so angry at her earlier was helping her, let alone the first person she had talked to since she came here. But she didn't want to get attached to anyone again and she could tell it was already happening. Maybe it was because she understood where the boy was coming from. It was obvious from the way he acted that that was his mother's grave.

* * *

Vegeta had gotten her to the office and waited around in case he had to help her find her way to her class. He overheard the principal talking to her.

"Well, Miss Briefs, you have quite the record. You seem to be an excellent student. I did talk with your mother, however, about everything going on. I'm not going to force you, but I highly recommend you talk to the guidance counselor at some point. If you plan on talking at all, that is."

Vegeta didn't know what to make of it, since Bulma said nothing back. He heard the principal sigh.

"She said you'd be like this, and we're happy to help in any way we can, but you have to let someone in at some point."

Still silence.

"Fine, you are dismissed. Have a good first day, Bulma."

Bulma came out of the office after that and saw that Vegeta had waited for her. He saw that she still had this hopeless look and caught himself wondering if she had ever smiled before.

"Let me see your schedule," he said holding out his hand. She handed him the schedule and he saw that they were in all the same classes, all honors and AP. "Well this will make my job a lot easier. This is the same schedule as mine, so just follow me, okay?"

Bulma nodded but said nothing. She followed him silently and now he was wondering if she had ever spoken. Well, she did say something to him twice, but it wasn't much.

"Hey, Vegeta!" they heard someone call. Vegeta looked over to see Goku with his friend, Krillin.

"Hey Vegeta, I'm glad to see you made it here alright. I was kind of worried."

"Yeah, man. Goku told me what happened. I'm really sorry."

Vegeta glared at Krillin for the apology. He still, to this day, never told anyone why he hated those words so much.

"Whatever," Vegeta replied. Then Goku and Krillin saw Bulma.

"Oh my God! Bulma, is that you?" Goku shouted.

"You know her?" Vegeta asked in surprise.

"Well, yeah," Goku said nervously. "You see my parents worked on her case a while ago."

"Case?" Krillin asked.

"Yeah, you see-"

"Shhhhh!" Bulma hissed. She didn't want anyone to know. She looked up and saw they were in front of class and quickly ran into the room.

"Hey, Goku, not to invade her privacy or anything, but aren't your parents social workers?" Krillin asked gaining Vegeta's attention.

Goku frowned but nodded. "She had stayed with us for a while, just a few days. She wouldn’t speak to us at all, well, me on occasion like when she needed something, but my parents thought it would be best to put her in the system. They told me they had to give up her case, but they did tell me a week ago that the owners of Capsule Corp. were going to take her in."

So that was it. Now Vegeta knew why she didn't like talking to Mrs. Briefs. She wasn't her real mother. But obviously the girl was living a much better life now that she would have been before. Yet she still refused to speak to the woman, and probably the owner, and even say “thank you.” This annoyed him greatly because not only did he have to work for everything he had, but his mother at least taught him respect for his elders. This girl was nothing but a spoiled brat. But then again, after his mother had died, he hadn't spoken to anyone for two weeks as he had trouble coping.

 _Maybe there is a reason._ He would make it his personal job to find out.


	4. Bitter Judgement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or the characters.

"Alright class. Today we have a new student, Miss Bulma Briefs. Care to say hello, Miss Briefs?"

Vegeta's eyes met Bulma's as she just looked out to the students without saying anything. Other students whispered about the strange, new student. Bulma didn't care, though. She was used to this.

The teacher nervously said, "Well you can take a seat now."

Bulma sat down in an empty seat in the back of the room away from everyone, including Vegeta. She didn't say anything for the rest of the class.

"I heard she's been arrested."

"No, she's in a gang. No one else would wear that much black."

"No, she's a druggie."

 _And the rumors start,_ she though rolling her eyes.

Vegeta found her at lunch and sat across from her. She looked up at him and frowned. He frowned back at her and snappily asked, "What's your problem?"

"I'm sure Goku told you by now, so go ahead and judge me like everyone else," she spat back bitterly.

Vegeta was genuinely surprised. Yes, he had judged her for all of two seconds when he thought she just didn't care. But during class he saw something.

_Bulma was wearing a pendant that she held onto for the entire class. He could see the tears starting to form in her eyes as she diligently took notes. Vegeta could only guess what she was going through._

"I'm not going to judge you," he finally said. "I hardly know you except that you stalk the graves of strangers."

"You loved her," Bulma stated as fact.

"Yes," he replied looking away. He felt a hand on his and looked up.

"I'm sure she loved you, too."

The two sat in silence for the rest of the lunch period. He really didn't know what to say to her statement. It was something he knew. He knew his mother loved him and he loved her, but in the end it wasn't enough to keep her alive.


	5. Escaping

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or the characters.

Vegeta walked home knowing his father would be out. He hadn’t called for him to come home yet, so Vegeta thought he’d take Goku up on his offer even for just a few days.

Vegeta wasn’t stupid. He knew that if his father had decided to throw him out for good that he would never get any of his stuff back. He didn’t have much: some clothes, maybe a book or two; but what mattered more to him were the pictures, pictures of his mother. His mother’s journal that she had given to him before she died was another thing he would never leave behind.

Vegeta packed everything up in a knapsack and a couple outfits. He also broke into his father’s room and found his mother’s jewelry box. He knew his father had been slowly pawning it off over the last ten years, but there were three important things he would never let him sell: his mother’s engagement ring (he had taken it when he was twelve), her wedding ring from her first marriage (he got that away from his father when he was fifteen), and now today he would get the locket that she always wore. Vegeta had taken those things little by little at different times so it wouldn’t draw his father’s attention.

After he had everything, he went out to the backyard to get his bike. A neighbor had sold the motorcycle to him a year ago in order to pay off a debt. No one would have bought it from him since it needed so much work, but Vegeta need a ride and his neighbor needed money.

Leaving his home behind, Vegeta made has way to Goku’s house. However, when he got to the bridge he pulled over. He saw Bulma standing at the edge of the bridge.


	6. A Heartfelt Confession

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or the characters.

How she had gotten there, Bulma had no idea. She had been thinking about the upcoming anniversary of the accident before she just started running with no destination. Hell, how had she ended up there on a bridge when she had been sitting in the garden room of Capsule Corp.?

Well, now she was standing hundreds of feet above water curious about what it would feel like to jump and free-fall to the water below. Would she feel pain? Would she see them again? Seven years of being moved around and losing families could end here if she just took one step.

Getting ready to take that step, Bulma felt someone grab her arm. She turned around to see an out-of-breath Vegeta.

"What the hell are you doing?" he shouted at her. She motioned her head to the water as Vegeta stared into her empty eyes. Was she really planning on jumping? "Not on my watch," he told her.

She gave him her best apologetic look. He seemed scared for what she had been about to do even though they had just met that morning. She didn't know why he cared, but she knew that if she jumped he could feel the way she did now.

"I'm sorry," she said not noticing him flinching. "I don't know how I got up here and I was just caught in a moment."

"Don't make me have to watch you," he said not knowing where the concern for her came from. He motioned to his bike. "Need a ride?"

"I…I'm not ready to go back to Capsule Corp. yet."

She sat down with her legs hanging over the edge of the bridge. It made Vegeta nervous because all she had to do was push off the side and he wouldn't be able to stop her from falling. He did the next best thing; he joined her.

"The woman you were with this morning seemed to genuinely care for you," Vegeta stated from his earlier observation.

"She does, but her husband doesn't. He resents me because of what he can't give Mrs. Briefs."

"Oh. Then why did he take you in?"

"He didn't have a choice," Bulma answered. Upon his confused expression, Bulma decided to tell him the rest. "After my parents died, I refused to talk to anyone. My parent hadn't left a will and no one in my family would take me in. They blamed me for the car accident and honestly, I do too. I was allowed to bring only a few things of mine and my parents' but everything else was either taken by the family or handed over to the government. I was placed in foster care and went to four different families who didn't want to deal with my 'attitude.' Then one family finally adopted me. They thought they could get through to me and they did. Then her husband passed away and she became a drug addict which I hadn't found out until the day I was called out of class and was told that she overdosed. Lucky for me, I guess, that she left a will stating that if anything should happen to her, that I would be placed in the care of her sister, Mrs. Briefs. So here I am."

Vegeta was flabbergasted. And he thought he had it bad. This girl not only lost four parents, but her entire family.

"I guess that's why I ended up here," she said interrupting his thoughts. "I don't have much to live for."

He saw that she was starting to lose her calmness and knew she'd probably jump soon if he didn't get her away from the edge.

"I'm going to Goku's for dinner," he half-lied. "Why don't you come?"

Bulma looked over to him. "Why?"

"Because it's getting late and I'm sure you're hungry," he said starting to lose his nerve at her suspicion.

"No, not why the dinner. Why are you so adamant about stopping me? Like you said, you hardly know me."

Vegeta sighed and said, "Because nothing in life is ever so horrible that you should take your own. My mother used to say that."

Bulma's tense features relaxed when he said that. Finally she stood up and started walking away from the edge.

"Okay," she whispered. "I'll go with you."

Vegeta had never felt so relieved in his life. He led her over to the bike and handed her the helmet which she had tried to refuse. In the end, he won the argument and they made their way over to Goku's house.


	7. Dinner with the Sons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or the characters.

They arrived at Goku's house, and Goku and his older brother, Raditz, were sparring outside on the front lawn. The two stopped their fight when they saw Vegeta's motorcycle pull up. As they walked over, they were shocked to see Bulma getting off the motorcycle and handing Vegeta his helmet back.

"Hey, Bulma," Raditz said as if he were walking on eggshells. "It's been a while."

Bulma nodded at him and Vegeta started wondering if he was the first person she had actually spoken to since her parents' deaths.

"I guess you met Vegeta," Raditz continued.

"Hey, Vegeta. Hey, Bulma," Goku greeted. "What brings you here?"

"Your invite to dinner," Vegeta lied as he gave Goku a look that told him to play along.

"Oh, yeah, right. I'll go tell my parents you're here," Goku said running into the house.

* * *

They sat on the porch in awkward silence until Goku returned. "They said dinner's ready and they're really excited to see you again, Bulma."

Bulma smiled slightly but only for a second that only Vegeta noticed. The four teenagers walked into the house, then into the kitchen. Mrs. Son had set the table and Goku’s and Raditz's father and grandfather were already sitting at the table conversing. The adults looked over to the teenagers and smiled.

"Hello, Vegeta," Mrs. Son said, "and hello, Bulma. It's so good to see you again. What luck that today I decided to make your favorite dish."

Bulma shot her a weak smile and sat down next to Goku's father. Everyone asked Bulma a few questions to which she answered with a nod or shake of her head, a shrug, or a blank stare before looking down which was a lot more than what the teachers had gotten in school.

The way she interacted with them was different from the way she acted towards Mrs. Briefs earlier that morning. Vegeta wondered if she just didn't like her or if living around Dr. Briefs was so horrible for her.

* * *

After dinner, Bulma still wasn't ready to go back to Capsule Corp. Vegeta told Goku he'd be back later and left his knapsack there, but not before taking something with him.

Vegeta then drove off with Bulma and brought her to his mother's favorite park. Not many people were ever around and there was a stream. It was a nice, quiet place to go to think as he did often.

They laid on the ground in silence looking at the stars for a while before Bulma spoke up.

"What happened to her?" She asked the question knowing she probably wouldn't get an answer.

Vegeta tensed thinking about his mother's death. He sighed and decided that since she was so open with him earlier, he should be with her.

* * *

" _Mr. Ouji,_ I am sorry _but we have done everything we were capable of doing._ I'm sorry, _but your wife has stopped responding to treatment," the doctor said._

" _How long?" my father had asked him._

" _Two months." I had been around the corner listening and hoping it wasn't true. After all, I was only ten and I didn't want my mother to die._

_My mother had some type of illness that we didn't know about that could have been triggered by the birth of my brother, Tarble, who is with my mother's parents now._

_When I wasn't in school, I was sitting at my mother's bedside or I was taking care of Tarble, who was born with weak lungs. My father refused to care for him because he blamed him for mother getting sick. My mother was angry with him and arranged for her parents to gain full custody of us when she passed. My father fought hard for me and somehow won…I wish he hadn't._

"Where's Tarble now?" Bulma asked.

"Like I said, with my grandparents a couple cities away. I find a way to get there every so often to see how he's doing. He's seven now and, despite his lungs, very healthy, happy, and active."

Bulma smiled, but her expression grew serious as Vegeta continued.

_A few days before the doctors estimated my mother would die, I skipped school unbeknownst to my father and she gave me her journal. It was a large book with all of her family stories and some recipes; some of her favorite quotes and poems; then there was a section where she wrote something for all of my birthdays and holidays up until the point where I'm past college and for my wedding day if that ever happens; and then a part where she wrote advice…family, relationship, stuff like that._

_She told me she loved me and Tarble with her life and, before I could tell her I loved her too, the monitors started beeping and the doctors kicked me out of the room. The head doctor who had spoken to my father two months earlier came to talk to me. He looked, well, unhappy, and then proceeded to say, "_ I'm sorry _, son, but I couldn't…"_

_Doctors are usually so calm and emotionless, but I guess he felt bad that he had to tell a young boy that his mother had just died when there was no one there with him._

_I didn't want to believe it. I ran inside and pushed passed the doctors and saw what I was afraid to see._

_I stayed in the hospital until my father showed up. The doctor had called him to tell him what happened._ _My father didn't speak to me the entire ride home and I couldn't find the words to express what I was feeling at the moment._

_When we got in the house, I was about to go into my room when I felt my father punch me hard. I didn't noticed in the hospital or the car, but he smelled like liquor and I realized he was drunk._

_I remember his exact words._

" _What the hell were you doing irritating your mother when you should have been at school, you brat?" he shouted as he punched me again. "If you hadn't gone over there, she'd be fine. You did this._ I'm sorry _you were ever born. You weakened her and your worthless brother dealt the finishing blow to her. We should have never had children. She'd be fine if we hadn't."_

_I let my father take out his frustration on me before I went up to my room._

_I took out the journal she had given me and turned to a specific page._

_It read: "Dear Son,_

_I wrote this in case I wouldn't be around on this day. I wanted to let you know that you and your brother are taken care of. I left money for both of you in accounts that your father knows nothing about. Your grandparents have the information for you and they will help you any way they can. Oh, Vegeta, I love you and your brother so much and I wish I could be there for you both and watch you grow up. I am happy to know that Tarble will grow up with you as a role model. You will both do great things in the future, that I am sure of._

_I love you Vegeta._

_P.S. Happy 10th Birthday._

* * *

Bulma was in tears when he finished telling her what had happened. Vegeta just looked down to the ground, trying to reign in his emotions before he joined her. He lost his grip on them when Bulma unexpectedly hugged him.

He started tearing up, going through everything again in his mind, and hugged her back.

"After that," he said hoarsely, "I flinched every time I heard the words 'I'm sorry' because not only did it remind me of what the doctor said, but also what my father said. For the longest time I believed what my father said about how I shouldn't have been born. I decided to run away from home at that moment."

"Where did you end up?" Bulma whispered.

Vegeta tensed and Bulma could feel his unease. "I…I ended up where you were this morning." Bulma looked at him in shock and Vegeta looked away from her. "I had probably the same thoughts going through my head as you did, but then something stopped me. I could hear my mother's words playing in my head…the one's I told you earlier and the part in her journal entry where she said she was glad Tarble would have me to look up to. I realized that I still had family members that cared enough about us that if they lost me too, I would be the biggest jerk on the planet for causing them more pain. That's probably why I stopped you today." He looked at Bulma again. "Mrs. Briefs cares about you and it would have been a mistake to jump."

Bulma started crying harder as she hugged him tighter.

"I know," she sobbed. "I know she does and that I would be making her feel like I do. I'm glad you stopped me."

"Why don't you talk to her like you do with me?" Vegeta asked while patting her back.

"Because I'm afraid…afraid that if I get attached to her that I'll lose her too."

"But you'll end up losing her if you can't cooperate with her or her husband."

Bulma knew he was right and that she had to get over this fear she had, but she just didn't know how.

"Here," Vegeta said handing her the locket.

"What's this?" Bulma asked while taking the locket and drying her tears.

"It's my mother's," he answered. "I want you to hold onto it for now, but I do expect it back in the future. Just think of it as insurance to make sure you don't end up back on that bridge."

Bulma smiled at him. Leave it to this guy to make a joke and act all business like about something so serious to lighten the mood.

"I think I'm ready to go back to Cap- I mean home, now," she said.

Vegeta nodded and the two left the park. He dropped her off at Capsule Corp. and said goodbye. He didn't leave though and he heard Dr. Briefs yell at her for worrying Mrs. Briefs by not calling and how ungrateful she was after all they were doing for her. Vegeta was about to walk up there when Bulma calmly said, "I promise I'll call next time," leaving a shocked man in her wake. Vegeta smirked and drove off to return to Goku's house. He'd need all his rest for the imminent confrontation with his father, but for the first time in years, he felt the strength to handle it.

* * *

Bulma went up to Mrs. Briefs room to see her guardian reading a book trying to calm her nerves. Mrs. Briefs looked over to the door when she heard a light knock. With tears in her eyes, she ran over to hug Bulma.

"Oh, I was so worried about you, but you're here now and that's all that matters," she said.

Bulma stunned her by hugging back and then by saying, "I didn't mean to worry you. Forgive me?"

Mrs. Briefs looked at Bulma for a few minutes before smiling and nodding. Something had happened to Bulma that would change her for the better.


	8. Rumors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or the characters

The next morning, Bulma woke up early. She looked at her nightstand and saw the locket that belonged to Vegeta's mother, thus remembering the events from the previous night.

 _What was I thinking?_ she asked herself. Despite how much she had been through, she never once thought about doing drugs, drinking, or, until last night, killing herself. If Vegeta hadn't shown up…she didn't even want to think about it.

"Bulma, sweetie," Mrs. Briefs called to her, knocking lightly on the door. Bulma got up and answered the door. "Oh good, you're up. I just wanted to make sure you were okay?"

Bulma surprised her by smiling. "I'm fine," she said, which also surprised Mrs. Briefs.

"You're talking to me," she said getting emotional.

"Yeah," Bulma replied. "I'm sor-, I mean I apologize for acting so disrespectful before."

"And they say people don't change overnight," Mrs. Briefs said jokingly. "What happened?"

"I ran into that boy yesterday," Bulma answered.

"The one from the cemetery?" Bulma nodded. "Oh, I'm so glad you made a friend."

"But I'm still not going to talk to people," Bulma told her causing her to frown. "Probably just you and Vegeta…maybe my old friend Goku."

"Why wouldn't you want to talk to anyone else?"

Bulma shrugged. Mrs. Briefs didn't like the answer, but she had to admit this change was refreshing and as long as she would be able to communicate with Bulma. Maybe she would be able to get her to open up if that boy Vegeta hadn't done so already.

"Well, anyway, do you want to go out to breakfast? Just the two of us, before you go off to school, that is."

Bulma smiled and nodded. "I'd like that."

* * *

"Hey Vegeta," Goku greeted. "I wanted to ask you something?"

Vegeta let out an annoyed sigh and said, "No, Kakarot, I am not going to stay with you all forever."

"No, not that, Geta," he said ignoring the glare sent his way. "What happened with Bulma last night?"

"None of your damn business, Kakarot," Vegeta responded. "Let it go."

"Vegeta, I always saw her as my friend. I need to know what happened."

"Let it go, Kakarot. I have to get to class."

* * *

When Bulma entered the classroom, everyone gave her quick glances and then whispered to each other in such hushed tones that she couldn't hear what they were saying about her.

After Bulma sat down in the desk she knew would be next to Vegeta, a girl walked up to her and stood over her desk.

"I saw you," she said.

Bulma looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, you can speak. For a while there I thought you were dumb. Not mentally of course since you're in these classes. Well, maybe you are dumb since you were about to jump of a bridge yesterday afternoon."

Bulma's eyes widened. So that's what everyone was talking and giggling about. She glared at the girl standing in front of her. What sick freak made fun of someone for almost doing something like that?

* * *

Vegeta then entered the room and got there in enough time to hear the girl tell the entire class what had happened the day before. Bulma was sunken into her seat and Vegeta wondered where the teacher was. The class wouldn't let up so Vegeta decided to step in.

"If you idiots knew anything, you would know that Bulma and I were meeting up there for a date," he said. People would leave her alone if they thought they were involved. He noted Bulma's look of surprise.

"On top of a bridge?" a guy asked.

Vegeta shrugged. "It has a nice view. So if you're all done spreading rumors, I would appreciate it if you all just shut up."

Vegeta took the seat next to Bulma and saw that she was wearing the locket.

"Thank you," she said. Even if she didn't approve of his method, it got the others to leave her alone, for the time being anyway.

"It was nothing," he replied. "You're wearing the locket."

Bulma's hand went to the locket and she smiled. "Yeah, and I'm talking to Mrs. Briefs now."

Vegeta's eyes widened. That was a big deal, all things considered, and he was impressed.

"That's really great, Bulma," he told her.

"It's all thanks to you," she said. "I really appreciate all you did for me yesterday."

Vegeta put his hand on her shoulder. "I would do it all again in a heartbeat," he said in a voice that made her heart flutter. She blushed but Vegeta hadn't noticed.

"Good morning, class," the teacher said coming into the room.

 _About damn time he showed up, but a little too late now,_ Vegeta thought bitterly. He just hoped the rumors hadn't spread too quickly. Bulma shouldn't have to relive a moment's weakness because of some idiot who didn't know how to keep their mouth shut. All he could hope for now was that the rumor of their non-existent relationship would spread quicker than the first rumor.


	9. Opening Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or the characters, just so you know

Vegeta stuck to Bulma like glue for the rest of the day and smirked victoriously when the rumor about the bridge had been covered up. Bulma was very grateful that she made a friend willing to help her like this.

"Hey, Bulma. Hey, Vegeta," Goku greeted at lunch. He had a girl with him. Turning to Bulma, he said, "Bulma, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Chi Chi."

The girl smiled at Bulma and Bulma smiled back giving her a slight wave.

"Goku told me you don't like to talk much," Chi Chi explained, "but that's okay. You remind me of my friend, Juu."

"That's Krillin's girlfriend," Goku explained. "She has a twin brother named Jay who's in college with Raditz."

Bulma nodded as she took in the new information. It was a small group, but she seemed more comfortable around Vegeta’s and Goku's friends than she would around strangers. Krillin and Juu showed up a few minutes later.

"Hey guys," Krillin greeted. Everyone but Bulma and Vegeta said greetings back. Juu didn't even say “hello” when she took her seat. She just glanced over to Bulma. The two of them stared at each other blankly and the rest of the group smiled when the two smiled at one another. Chi Chi was right; Juu wasn't much of a talker either.

They all listened to each other's conversations about school, activities, upcoming dances, clubs, sports events, and dates. It had been a long time since Bulma had been around people like this. Yes, she and Goku went to middle school together, but the one true time she was around a group of people this way was the day of the accident, after her school play.

There was something about that day that Bulma hadn't told Vegeta. She realized it when she saw the date on his mother's grave. It affected her greatly to find out that day was his birthday, but that was also the day of her school play. When she had seen the date on the tombstone, she grew sad knowing that another child lost a parent that same day. Bulma never believed in fate or anything, but part of her was starting to think that this wasn't a coincidence. Their paths crossed in the strangest way and they kept running into each other. Maybe it was a sign for both of them, but they were still so young and stubborn they probably wouldn't have even noticed.

"So, Bulma, Goku tells me you like art," Chi Chi said. "I can tell you about the different clubs at school that involved stuff like that. Would you be interested?"

Bulma thought about it for a minute, but her decision solidified when she saw Vegeta smirking at her. Bulma looked over to Chi Chi and smiled confidently while nodding. "I'd like that," she whispered making Goku, Krillin, and Chi Chi's eyes go wide causing Juu to start laughing and Vegeta to cover up a chuckle.


	10. Sudden Realizations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or the characters. Just this AU plot.

Three weeks had gone by and Vegeta was still living with the Sons. It was a nice change but he was still waiting for his father to drop the bomb on him. Every time his phone rang he feared he would be forced to return home. He hadn’t cared before, but he had nothing really to worry about back then. Even his brother was an afterthought during the beatings. But now, in addition to his brother, he had someone else that he needed to be there for.

Bulma was still quiet but she now hung out with his group of friends. The girls, Chi Chi and Juu, kept her busy during the week. However, during their classes she never seemed tired, but happy and lively. It was a change he could get used to. Her smile lit up the room. She also started wearing more color instead of all black as well as the locket he gave her.

Vegeta blushed when he thought about how beautiful she was. He knew a few days ago that he was beginning to have feelings for her. He would never act on them, though. Sure, they had a strong connection, but two things stood in his way. One, if his father found out who knew what the drunkard would do; and two, he was more messed up than he let on. She was healing and getting better and he didn’t want to drag her down. Also, thanks to his father, Vegeta didn’t feel like he deserved to be happy.

“It’s better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all,” he heard Raditz say from the doorway. “William Shakespeare…I think…I don’t even know.”

“Alfred Tennyson,” Vegeta corrected. “What do you want Raditz?”

“You’ve been brooding in your room all weekend. Does this have to do with Bulma, by any chance?” Vegeta did not like his tone and he glared at his best friend’s older sibling. “Look, I can tell you like her and I’m sure that loudmouth my brother’s dating can figure out if she likes you back.”

“Knock it off,” Vegeta jeered. “You’re delusional. You know I don’t care about others.”

“Just because you don’t care about yourself doesn’t mean you don’t care about others. What about Tarble? You care about him. And what about that day on the bridge when you brought Bulma over for dinner.” Vegeta looked over to Raditz alarmed. “Jay was driving home that way and saw you with her,”  
he explained. “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what happened. You saved her from making a mistake and you barely knew her. You care about her, Vegeta.”

“So what?” Vegeta snapped looking back up at the ceiling.

“So, she might care about you, too,” Raditz replied.

“I don’t want her to,” Vegeta confessed.

“Well, it’s a little late for that dude.”

“Hm?” Raditz pointed out the window. Vegeta turned to look and saw Bulma running to the door in the rain from a large car. He had told her that he was living at Goku’s for the time being so she was most likely coming to see him.

The two boys heard a knock on the door. Vegeta went downstairs to answer it.

“Yes?” he asked.

Bulma laughed. “What kind of greeting was that?” she teased. “Anyway, my mom wanted to take me to the movies and wanted to know if you would like to join us.” Vegeta’s eyes widened at the mention of the word “mom.” He looked over to the car to see Mrs. Briefs waving at him. Had Bulma really opened up so much that she started to accept Mrs. Briefs as her mother?

“What movie are we seeing?” Vegeta asked.

“I don’t know,” Bulma responded. “She didn’t tell me.”

“I don’t know,” Vegeta said averting his eyes nervously.

“Please, Geta,” Bulma begged using her nickname for him and giving him the “puppy-face.” How could he possibly say no to that?

He closed his eyes and sighed. “Oh, alright.”

“Yay!” Bulma cheered as she pulled a stunned Vegeta out into the rain.

Raditz watched the scene from the staircase and chuckled. “Yeah, they’re good for each other.”


	11. Saving Grace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or the characters.

Mrs. Briefs thought it would be better to see an action film since Vegeta was with them. He honestly hadn’t cared what they went to see. He wasn’t much of a movie goer to begin with.

After the movie, Mrs. Briefs had gotten a call from her job to come in so she left Bulma and Vegeta with some money and told them to enjoy themselves.

Bulma brought Vegeta to a bakery although he wasn’t sure why. That is, until he saw what she bought. It was a small, chocolate cake that said “Happy Birthday, Vegeta” in blue letters. He blinked a few times failing miserably to hide his surprise. He had forgotten his own birthday.

That wasn’t much of a surprise to him. After his mother had died, he never really celebrated his birthday. His dad would probably beat him if he found out anyone wanted to celebrate his birthday. Still, it meant a lot to him she remembered.

Then Vegeta thought about something else. He was now eighteen, a legal adult. If Goku’s family allowed it, Vegeta could apply for independence and go live with them. He would help out any way to earn his keep, but he wouldn’t have to return home.

_RING!_

Or so he thought. Vegeta looked away from Bulma to check his phone. His father was calling. Vegeta answered it.

“Yeah?” Vegeta said into the phone.

“ _Where the hell are you? You better get your ass home this instant or I swear I’ll send the police after you,”_ came his father’s drunken reply on the other end. He hung up and sighed. He knew what he would be facing if he went home.

He turned to Bulma and reluctantly said, “Thank you, but can we celebrate tomorrow? There’s something I need to take care of.”

Bulma frowned, but nodded. She knew what he needed to take care of had to be important. It worried her but she didn’t know why, and she was going to find out.

Vegeta got on a bus and made his way to his broken home. Little did he know, Bulma was in a cab following him there.

* * *

When Vegeta got to the house, he unlocked the door and let himself in. It was pitch-black but he could hear the sound of the TV so he went to the living room. His father wasn’t there.

Vegeta turned around just in enough time to be smacked hard over the head. Vegeta fell to the floor and grabbed his head, wincing when he felt blood.

* * *

Bulma’s cab had pulled up a few minutes later. She told the driver to wait there and went to the opened front door. She went inside and saw a man passed out on the couch and started searching for Vegeta.

She passed a closet and heard the sound of muffled cries. Bulma quietly opened the closet and saw Vegeta’s form curled up in the dark closet. He was breathing heavily and was trying to force himself not to cry, not to make a sound.

Bulma’s heart broke at the sight. She took her hand and placed it gently on his face. He gasped and sat up a little too quickly that he hurt himself. He turned his head to look at whoever had come into the closet. It was obvious that it wasn’t his father. Panic took over him when he saw Bulma kneeling in front of him. It wasn’t safe for her here.

“Bulma, what are you doing here?” he asked in a whisper.

“I came to make sure you were okay,” she said. “And now we are leaving.”

“I can’t right now,” Vegeta told her. “If I did leave now, he would hunt me down.”

“I don’t care,” she argued. “Please, come with me and I’ll take care of you. You’ve done so much for me. Let me help you.”

Vegeta’s vision was starting to get a little blurry. His father must have hit him harder than he thought. And here Bulma was trying to save him and take him away from this madhouse. He nodded in agreement and Bulma helped him up. Both were careful not to make any noise as Vegeta grabbed his keys and the two left the house.

* * *

The cab driver looked at the two like they were insane. The girl had gone into the house alone and came out with a beaten boy who could barely walk.

“Where to?” he reluctantly asked.

“To Capsule Corp,” Bulma answered him.

The man nodded and headed away from Vegeta’s home to Bulma’s. Bulma’s parents weren’t home which was better for them because they really didn’t know how to explain this. Bulma got Vegeta up to her room and then went down to the kitchen to get him some water, ice, and painkillers.

Vegeta stared at the walls of Bulma’s rooms. Every wall was filled with beautiful murals. He knew she had to have painted them and was impressed by her talent. He looked over to the door when he heard it creak open. Bulma was there giving him a bittersweet smile. She walked over to him and placed the painkillers and water in his hands. He took them while Bulma put the ice on the back of his head.

Vegeta gasped in pain but slowly relaxed feeling Bulma running her fingers through his hair comfortingly. He leaned his throbbing head into her touch and smiled.

Bulma kissed his forehead and said, “I’ll be right back. Keep the ice on.” He answered with a nod.

Bulma returned a few minutes later with a piece of the cake from earlier. He hadn’t even noticed her carrying the bag when she helped him inside. The cake had a lit candle and Bulma held it close to him.

“Make a wish,” she whispered. Vegeta closed his eyes and thought about what it would be like to be away from his father, be with Bulma, and have the life he could never have.

 _I wish things would get better,_ he finally thought before blowing out the candle. Bulma pulled the candle out of the cake and slowly fed him the piece.

 _Things are already better,_ Vegeta thought before getting some much needed rest.


	12. Taking a Chance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or the characters.

When Vegeta woke up, the room was dark. His guess was that he had been out for a few hours and now it was nighttime. He turned his head off to the side and his heart was caught in his throat. Bulma was sleeping next to him and was very close.

He blushed and shifted nervously. The movement had caused Bulma to wake up and stretch.

"Oh, hey," she whispered. "How are you feeling?"

Vegeta thought about it for a moment and realized that he wasn't in that much pain anymore.

"I'm fine," he told her. But he was stunned into silence when she got closer to him and snuggled into him. He was very thankful that she couldn’t see him in the dark or he would have gone redder from embarrassment.

"That's good," Bulma replied. "My mom knows you're here. Dr. Briefs doesn't though and she's going to help to keep it that way. We want to try to get him to warm up to you so that maybe he'll let you stay here."

Vegeta looked down to the girl in his arms in shock. Why would they even want him there? Sure, his father didn't know about his friendship with her and this would be the last place he'd ever think to look. Plus the extra security…and being around Bulma. Okay, the place had a lot of positives to it, but he still didn't want to risk her safety.

"Don't worry about me," she said as if reading his thoughts. "Worry about yourself for once. You'd be safer and happier here. And you're eighteen now so you could break away from him legally and he wouldn't be able to hurt you anymore."

Vegeta held onto her tighter. She really was amazing. He couldn't remember the last time someone took care of him fully, but she was willing to be there for him. Then he thought about his mother. He hadn't read her journal entry for today. He was about to voice his concern to Bulma but she put a finger over his lips, thus silencing him.

"I told my mom earlier that you had stuff at Goku's house and she went to pick it up, so the journal is here and it's still your birthday." She pulled away from him and walked over to her desk and took the journal out of his knapsack and then brought it over to him.

* * *

_Dear Son,_

_I can't believe you're already eighteen. I wish I could be there for you and regret that I can't be. If I were, I'm sure I would be proud of the wonderful man you've become today. Please take care of yourself now that you're an adult. I know how I was when I was eighteen and I never really took the time to eat regular meals and things like that. But I want you to live a long, happy life and you need to be healthy for that. Also, as my mother told me on my eighteenth birthday, I was you to take a chance today. You'll be so happy you did._

_I love you, Vegeta._

* * *

Vegeta found himself fighting back tears for the second time that day. He closed the book and let out a breath of air to try and relax himself.

Bulma took the book and put it on the nightstand and then hugged him. He hugged her back and they laid back down holding onto each other for dear life. He looked into her blue eyes that were dimmed by the lighting and decided to take his chance.

He stroked her cheek with his hand and moved closer to her. Bulma closed her eyes expecting what his next move would be.

Vegeta kissed her. The kiss was both gentle and desperate, like he was bearing his soul to her. His heart fluttered when he felt her kiss back.

When they broke away from each other, Bulma stroked his cheek and smiled.

"Goodnight, Vegeta," she whispered. "And Happy Birthday."


	13. A Morning at Bulma's

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or the characters.

Vegeta woke up the next morning to someone soothingly stroking him arm. When he opened his eyes he saw Bulma smiling back at him.

"Good morning," she said sweetly.

"Morning," he replied, surprised by the hoarseness of his voice.

"Feeling any better?" she asked, her voice full on concern. Vegeta just nodded slightly making her smile. She kissed his forehead and said, "Good. I was worried."

Vegeta pulled her closer to him and inhaled her scent. He couldn't remember a time he felt more relaxed than this.

"Do we have to get up?" Vegeta asked reluctantly.

Bulma giggled. "Of course, but not right now. It is Sunday after all," she responded. "But eventually Dr. Briefs will be wondering why I'm not up and he might come up here flipping out for me staying in, so fair warning."

Vegeta rolled his eyes. It was obvious that the guy was still going out of his way to make her feel unwelcome, but at least Mrs. Briefs cared about her. He realized that she let him stay over here in her daughter's room, no questions asked. Maybe she cared about him too, which was a little more difficult for him to grasp. She barely knew him.

* * *

A few minutes later, Bulma's prediction came true and Dr. Briefs' reaction was far from tame.

"What the hell is this?" he asked upon seeing Vegeta. "I came up to make sure you were getting up, but I'm guessing you can't. What, tired out from last night's 'activities?’"

Vegeta did not like the guy's attitude or his implication so he moved the blanket off of them to show that they were both fully clothed.

"Maybe you shouldn't jump to conclusions," Vegeta said. "It must be embarrassing for a smart man such as yourself to be proven wrong."

Dr. Briefs was seeing red and was about to comment when Mrs. Briefs showed up.

"Oh, good, you're both awake," she said. "Vegeta, sweetie, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," he replied.

"Good," she replied. "Bulma told me what happened and I just wanted to let you know that you're welcome to stay here, effective immediately."

Dr. Briefs looked over to his wife with an expression caught between anger, shock, and horror. He didn't like this boy's attitude any more than Bulma's and she was offering him a place to live.

"We need to talk," he told his wife.

Mrs. Briefs looked at him and replied, "No we don't. Vegeta is a very good boy and I want him to stay here. Besides, you should be thanking him. He's the one who got Bulma to open up more to me."

"Still, I don't want him here," Dr. Briefs argued.

"Well, you don't have much of a choice in the matter," Mrs. Briefs retorted. "I own fifty percent of everything including the company and this house, so I have the right to invite whoever I wish to stay and you need to get over it."

Vegeta and Bulma glanced over at Dr. Briefs who was attempting to reign in his temper.

"Fine, I don't care anymore! Let this delinquent live here!" Dr. Briefs snapped. "Just don't expect me to be welcoming!"

If anything, no one ever called Vegeta a delinquent and he was taken aback by it. He looked over to Bulma who was looking at him with a saddened and apologetic expression. Hugging her, he took her hand and kissed it lightly and whispered into her ear that it wasn't her fault and not to apologize.

Mrs. Briefs turned to the two teens. "I'm sorry about that and I can understand if you want to go back to your friend's house after this. My husband isn't the most understanding guy around." That left Vegeta to wonder why she was with him. As if hearing his unasked question, she continued. "He used to be a lot kinder, but I guess when he was told he couldn't provide me with children, he became snappier towards the younger generation. It has nothing to do with you two, though, and he shouldn't take anything out on you."

Vegeta looked at Bulma and he concluded that he would stay. She shouldn't have to deal with that jerk alone.

"I'll stay," Vegeta told them. Mrs. Briefs smiled and said she was going downstairs to work on breakfast.

Bulma's face lit up when he said he would stay. Vegeta couldn't help but blush when she smiled at him.

"Thank you," she said hugging him tighter. He responded with a nod.

The two of them got up and took turns getting ready. It was time for Vegeta to start his new life as an adult living with his friend whom he cared for deeply. Things were definitely looking up.


	14. Nothing Better to Do

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or the characters.

Mrs. Briefs dropped Bulma and Vegeta off at school after serving them a big breakfast. Everything felt so surreal to Vegeta. Just yesterday, on his eighteenth birthday and eight year anniversary of his mother's death, his dad had beaten him to a bloody pulp. Today, although sore, his wounds were covered up; he was living with people who cared about him (minus Dr. Briefs, but he took no offense); and nothing could bring down his mood.

They ran into Goku and Chi Chi at Bulma's locker. Goku had obviously known about Vegeta staying at Capsule Corp. and the look on Chi Chi's face told that she knew too.

 _Blabbermouth,_ both Vegeta and Bulma thought simultaneously.

Vegeta decided to chat with Goku while Chi Chi bombarded Bulma with questions that started making her feel uncomfortable. She kept asking why Vegeta was staying with her, and thinking back to how hurt Vegeta had been locked in that closet…she couldn't bear reliving it.

Vegeta noticed her discomfort and excused themselves to go to class. Upon entering, many pairs of eyes were on them.

 _Oh, what now?_ Vegeta whined in his head when everyone grew silent with a few occasional whispers. He turned to Bulma when he felt her tense up. It felt like the day after the bridge all over again. "Whatever happens," he whispered in her ear, "I am here for you. Don't let those idiots upset you."

Bulma relaxed and smiled up at him. "Thank you, Geta." She gave him a half-hug and they took their seats.

* * *

Class was seemingly uneventful until the end of the period. A note came flying onto her desk and she couldn't tell from which direction it came. Way back when, her first adoptive mother told her never to read notes passed in class unless it was from a close friend; however, curiosity got the better of her and she decided to open it. She gasped when she read the "hate mail." She caught the attention of both her teacher and Vegeta and heard a few snickers amongst the class (she assumed them to perpetrators).

"Miss Briefs, is everything alright?" the teacher asked.

"Um, yes sir," she replied hesitantly. She looked over Vegeta who had raised an eyebrow at her.

Bulma passed him the note that said she was "full of herself" and shouldn't be "sleeping around with the first guy she sees." Vegeta's expression became angry and he tore the note up. He took out a sheet of paper and wrote something to her (he didn't want to draw attention from the teacher again).

"They don't know anything. They're just jealous and it's pathetic. You are so much better than them, so don't even pay these rumors any mind. The rumors will die eventually. They always do, especially when these idiots have nothing better to do then make shit up."

Bulma tried to suppress a giggle. Leave it to Vegeta to insult them with his honesty like he had done with Dr. Briefs that morning. She turned to him with a wide grin plastered on her face. He returned her grin with a smirk, happy that he made her smile.

They didn't notice the look of disgust from some of the other guys and girls of the class, eyes green with envy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So I added the annoying high school drama. You can't have a high school fic without the annoying high school drama. I remember a little bit of that kind of drama from high school, which is so sad. Don't worry though, I won't harp on high school drama. There's deeper issues that are more important than (and I'm sure this is something Vegeta would say) pathetic high school pettiness XD I'm sure you all agree.


	15. Road Trip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own DBZ or the characters

A couple weeks passed and the rumors had started to fade, just like Vegeta thought they would. High schoolers were so predictable. During that time, Vegeta and Bulma still had their troubles with Dr. Briefs, but Mrs. Briefs would always have the last word. Vegeta had also been dodging calls from his father who left some nasty voicemails for him about his “worthlessness,” but that didn’t bother him anymore. He had Bulma and she did make him feel like he was worth something.

Speaking of which, Vegeta realized he hadn’t visited Tarble in a long time and thought it might be time to take a trip to his grandparents’ house a few hours away. But he didn’t want to leave Bulma and he was too nervous to ask her to come with him. Mrs. Briefs could tell he was deep in thought about something for a few days and accosted him with chocolate chip cookies and ordered him to tell her what was on his mind.

He found that Mrs. Briefs was easy to talk too, and although she wasn’t his mother (nor could she ever replace her), Vegeta was starting to see her as a mother-figure in his life. Mrs. Briefs thought it would be a good idea for Bulma to go with him for “new experiences” and such, but she didn’t want him taking her on his motorcycle for that long of a distance. Vegeta agreed to her conditions of using their driver to get them up there and then pick them up at the end of the weekend. Now all he had to do was ask Bulma to go with him.

He knocked on her door, but she didn’t answer so he let himself in. Bulma was wearing her headphones while painting on her new canvas. When she put the paint down to eye her painting, she felt arms snake around her waist and smiled. She turned her head back to see her boyfriend smirking down at her. Bulma removed her headphones and turned in his grip so that she was facing him.

“What’s up?” she asked.

His smirk widened. “I was wondering if you wanted to go on a trip with me this weekend.”

Bulma cocked her head to the side. “Where?”

“I haven’t seen my brother in a while and I was planning on visiting him. Would you like to come with me?”

Bulma smiled and gave Vegeta a quick peck on the cheek. “I’d love to go with you. When do we leave?”

“Friday after school. Your mother is arranging for the driver to take us. She was worried about me using the motorcycle for such a long distance.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Bulma said. “I can’t wait to meet your brother.”

Vegeta’s grip on Bulma tightened. He didn’t know why, but she had just made him feel a whole lot happier than he had been all day.

“Thank you,” he whispered not thinking Bulma had heard him. She had and smiled as she sunk into his grasp.


	16. Unexpected Part I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or the characters

Vegeta had never been so nervous going to see Tarble before. It wasn't that he was nervous about seeing his brother, but he was nervous about his grandparents. Since Vegeta always blamed himself for his mother's death, he always expected them to. And it had been a long time since he had been there for Tarble. Would they be mad that he hadn't visited for a half a year? Would they turn him and Bulma away? Would they like Bulma? So many questions were going through his head. He felt a hand on his arm pulling him out of his daze.

"You okay?" Bulma asked him in a sweet voice. He nodded and took her hand in his and looked back out the window. He felt her squeeze his hand reassuringly, squeezed back, and smiled. Everything would be fine.

Vegeta knocked on the door and his grandfather answered it.

"Vegeta?" he asked in surprise before smiling. "What a nice surprise. Come on in." Vegeta and Bulma walked into the house. "And what might you name be, miss?"

"I'm Bulma," she replied. "It's nice to meet you, um…"

"Nappa, you can call me Nappa," he told her. "Let me go get your grandmother and brother. They'll be happy to see you."

* * *

Nappa left the room and the two moved to sit on the couch. Bulma noticed that Vegeta was slightly tense. She caught herself wondering if he had issues with his grandparents like she did with Dr. Briefs. She couldn't be sure, though, so she didn't say anything.

All of a sudden they heard someone running down the stairs. They heard Nappa and a woman calling for him to slow down. A little boy appeared around the corner and jumped onto Vegeta.

"Veggie!" the little boy shouted in joy.

Vegeta smiled and ruffled his hair. "Hey, kid."

Tarble settled down and hugged Vegeta. "I missed you," he said.

Vegeta's grip on the boy tightened as he fought hard not to let tears fall. "I missed you too. I'm sorry it's been so long."

Tarble smiled brightly up at his older brother. "That's okay. I have good news," he said cheerily. He continued when Vegeta quirked his eyebrow in interest. "The doctors said I'm getting healthier and I can play at recess with my friends."

Vegeta smirked at him. "See, I told you you'd beat the odds, kid. I'm proud of you."

Vegeta received another hug. "I'm happy you're here," Tarble whispered in his ear.

"Me too," he whispered back.

"How long will you and your friend be staying?" his grandmother, Turna, asked.

"The weekend, if it's alright with you," Vegeta responded.

His grandparents smiled at each other and then to him. "You should know by now that you are always welcomed here," Turna said. She turned to Bulma. "And so are any of your friends."

* * *

Later that night, Bulma watched Vegeta read a book to his brother before he tucked him in for bed. _He really is a good older brother,_ she thought.

"Veggie?" Tarble cooed.

"Yeah, kid," Vegeta answered. "What is it?"

"You're eighteen now, right?" Vegeta nodded not knowing where the conversation was going. "Does that mean I can live with you now?"

Vegeta's calm façade faltered, but he managed to reign in his emotions and force a smile. He always wanted to be there for Tarble and live with him, but his grandparents had custody and their father, well he was a piece of work. Now he was living at Bulma's house where he was dealing with a man who pretty much hated him and Bulma for no reason.

"Probably not," Vegeta answered gently.

"But you're an adult now and I can go with you, right?"

Vegeta closed his eyes and sighed. "It's not that simple, Tarble. I'm still in school and considered a dependent which means I'm still considered a kid, in a way, too. Plus I don't have a steady job since I'm still in school and I don't have custody of you."

"I know all that, but I want to stay with you," Tarble cried. "I love you and miss you."

Vegeta's heart broke at the sight of his brother in tears. He got up and put the book away and then shut the lights and put on the nightlight. Then he went back over to the bed and lied down next to Tarble.

"We'll talk about this more another time," Vegeta whispered. "But right now someone needs to get to sleep. I'll stay with you until you're out, okay?" He wiped away Tarble's tears. "Please, don't cry anymore."

Tarble nodded meekly, closed his eyes, and cuddled into Vegeta. Vegeta started thinking and asking himself more questions. How would he be able to work this out? He loved his brother to death and would do anything for him, but he didn't have the money to support him, especially with a medical condition. Dr. Briefs would also be a challenge and even if Mrs. Briefs allowed Tarble to stay, did he really want his brother to be exposed to stupid problems like that? He also didn't know if his grandparents would just let him take Tarble. According to his father, he had taken their daughter away from them. Even if they didn't show it, they had to harbor some type of ill-will towards him, grandson or not. His mind started spinning with possible scenarios of how everything would turn out and they all ended badly. What could he do?

* * *

Bulma saw his conflicted expression and was about to go talk to him when she was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see who it was. It was Nappa, who had been listening in as well.

"I'll handle this," he told her reassuringly. Bulma nodded and went to the guest room where she and Vegeta would be staying.

"Hey, Vegeta," Nappa whispered. "Can we talk?"

Vegeta nodded and carefully slipped out of Tarble's grasp and off the bed.

They went downstairs into the living room. Nappa eyed Vegeta who remained expressionless and stared back.

"What happened?" Nappa asked. Vegeta shrugged, pretending not to know what his grandfather was talking about. "Don't give me that, Vegeta. Don't think I don't know that your father gives you grief or that I didn't notice the locket Bulma is wearing. What's been going on?"

Vegeta sighed and reluctantly told his grandfather everything that happened from the day he was kicked out to the day after his birthday and how Bulma had helped him get away from his father. He told him about why he had given Bulma the locket as well.

Nappa couldn't believe what Vegeta was telling him. Both he and his friend had gone through so much over the last few weeks. He was angry at Vegeta's father, but even angrier at himself for not realizing that Vegeta was hurting and suffering so much. He knew his father was difficult, but he never would have expected him to be beaten by him. Was the man so far gone with unresolved grief that he was willing to put a young boy, his young boy, in harm's way? And Bulma, she was very brave assisting Vegeta after his father had locked him in that closet. He had to hand it to her for keeping it together for Vegeta while she dealt with her own problems.

"I heard what your brother asked," Nappa told him, changing the subject. "I just want you to know that if Bulma's mother is willing to let him stay with you, your grandmother and I will still take care of his expenses as long as you need us to."

Vegeta managed to keep a calm expression, but still cracked a slight smile. "You would let him live with me?" Vegeta asked monotonously to cover his shock.

"Of course, Vegeta," Nappa replied. "We wanted you here, too. That's why we fought so hard. We even appealed the decision, but the appeal was denied. If you had just told us about all of this and what he was doing to you…I'm so sorry."

Vegeta was surprised to see his grandfather in tears that he missed the apology. He had been a cut-throat businessman all his life and the only day he had ever seen him cry was the day his daughter died. Vegeta didn't know what to do or say at the moment. He was about to go get his grandmother when his grandfather grabbed him into a strong hug.

"Forgive me," he pleaded.

"But…you didn't do anything wrong," Vegeta answered honestly.

"Neither did you," Nappa said in a whisper. "No matter what your father has said or done, neither you nor Tarble caused her death. She loved you both very much and she would not want you to go through life blaming yourself for something no one had any control over." Vegeta didn't agree.

* * *

Vegeta thought about his grandfather's words for hours before he decided to go to bed. He waited in the living room for everyone to go to sleep before heading to the guestroom.

When he walked in, he saw Bulma already asleep on the bed and smirked. He walked over to her and ran his fingers through her hair and kissed her forehead. Little to his knowledge, she was still awake and smiled when she felt him get in the bed and snake his arms around her waist with his head in the crook of her neck. Bulma felt his warm breath on her neck at the two of them drifted off into a peaceful sleep.


	17. Unexpected Part II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or the characters.

After a very enjoyable weekend with Vegeta's grandparents and brother, he and Bulma returned to Capsule Corp. The first person they ran into upon returning was Mrs. Briefs who had just been done baking some zucchini bread.

"Hey, you two," she greeted. "Did you enjoy your trip?"

Bulma and Vegeta nodded and stared at her. She could tell they had something they wanted to talk about but they didn't know how to approach the situation. Being the kidder she was, she was about to tease Vegeta about asking for Bulma's hand in marriage to lighten the mood, but Vegeta beat her to it.

"I was wondering if you would be willing to let my brother stay here for a while," Vegeta stated.

He, Bulma, and his grandparents had come up with a plan. Vegeta was surprised to hear that his grandparents were already planning on moving closer to the city. It was supposed to be a surprise which was why his grandfather tried to keep it hidden the night before. When Vegeta brought up that he made it sound like they'd be sending Tarble to live with him, Nappa laughed nervously as Turna smacked him upside the head. She thought he would have just come out and tell Vegeta. They were looking at a few houses in the area and it would take them a few weeks to get everything in order, but since Tarble was so adamant about being with Vegeta at this point, they thought maybe he could stay with his brother and get used to the city before the official move.

"Of course he can, sweetie," Mrs. Briefs replied. "When and how long?"

"Well, in a few days," Vegeta told her. "And for about a month until my grandparents move to the city."

"Well, that sounds nice," Mrs. Briefs said. "Of course he can."

"Mom," Bulma interrupted, "what about Dr. Briefs?"

Mrs. Briefs didn't mind Bulma calling her husband by his title so she looked past it and smiled at her. "Don't worry about him."

"Oh really?" Dr. Briefs said as he walked into the room.

"Here it comes," Bulma whispered to Vegeta who resisted the urge to chuckle as the two of them rolled their eyes.

"Are we really going to house another worthless brat?"

Vegeta immediately grew defensive and glared at the offending doctor.

"Look, you can say whatever you want about me," Vegeta growled, "but you will NOT say anything like that about Tarble. He's a good kid."

"Well, if that's true, why does he live with your grandparents and not with you and your parents, then, hm?" the doctor asked.

Vegeta clenched his fists and resisted the urge to punch the guy. This is exactly what he was worried about.

"You don't know anything!" He was surprised to hear Bulma jump to his defense. She never spoke to Dr. Briefs, even when he bitched at them. "Will you seriously just get over yourself? The kid is seven and he won't even be around you as much as he will us. Just leave him alone. He'll just be here for a short time. While you're at it, you can leave us alone to. What did we ever do to you?"

Vegeta, Mrs. Briefs, and Dr. Briefs all stared at her, mouths agape. Dr. Briefs was surprised that she finally spoke to him; Mrs. Briefs was concerned about her unexpected outburst; and Vegeta was just surprised at how aggressive she could be when irritated.

Bulma looked at all of them and then shrunk under the intense stares. "What?" she asked nervously.

"Why did you choose now to talk to me?" Dr. Briefs asked, still in shock.

"Well, you were being rude and disrespectful. You know, what you always say I'm doing," Bulma retorted.

"I see," Dr. Briefs replied. He turned to his wife. "I need to go to the office for a meeting, now. You can prepare the room across from Bulma’s, next to Vegeta’s." Then he left.

"Um, what just happened?" Bulma asked. Vegeta shrugged at her.

"I think you might have gotten to him, sweetie," Mrs. Briefs said. "But that's okay. I've been trying to get him to shut up about these things for years now. I'm impressed."

Bulma blushed at the praise. "Um, thanks I guess," she muttered.

* * *

"That was impressive," Vegeta said as he and Bulma were walking to the park.

"Yeah, I think I went a little over the top, but he just pisses me off," Bulma explained.

Vegeta chuckled. "I think it was perfect," he told her before taking her hand.

"I really can't wait to see your brother again," Bulma chimed. "He was so adorable and sweet. He drew me a picture of a flower."

Vegeta smiled and shook his head. "Yes, but he had me color it," Vegeta confessed.

"Aw, why didn't you say anything? That's so sweet. Both of you are."

Vegeta blushed and looked away to hide it. The two teens continued their walk oblivious to the fact that they were being watched.

"Enjoy it while you can, Vegeta. Your life is about to get a whole lot more hectic."


	18. A Fool's Gambit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or the character.

Vegeta told Goku about Tarble coming to stay at Capsule Corp and he had the greatest idea (sarcasm) to tell Chi Chi who decided to organize a party for all of them to meet his brother.

"Come on, Bulma," Chi Chi coaxed. "Get Vegeta on board."

Bulma rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to tell him what to do. You shouldn't have used the word 'party.'"

"Please, Bulma," Chi Chi begged fluttering her eyelashes.

Bulma tried to fight it and looked away, but that didn't work well. "Uck, fine, I'll talk to him," Bulma surrendered.

"Yay!" Chi Chi exclaimed hugging Bulma and running off.

* * *

"So," Bulma started, "I think this…get together…is a good idea. Then your brother can meet all your friends."

"The harpy got to you, didn't she?" Vegeta sighed.

"You know me so well," Bulma joked.

"Well, I know you wouldn't push the issue. It had to come from someone else."

"Is it really so bad?" Bulma asked.

"I suppose it's not," Vegeta replied. "But I don't want it to be upscale. We should go to the park. There's no chance of my father going to the other side of the city."

"You're worried," Bulma observed.

Vegeta sat back on the ground with his arms keeping him upright. He looked over to Bulma, fear evident in his dark eyes despite his emotion-free expression. "If my father hates me enough to the point where he'd beat me, he'd kill Tarble. How can I not worry?"

Bulma moved closure to him and leaned her head on his shoulder. "It'll be okay," she said rubbing his hand comfortingly.

Vegeta smirked and stunned her when he grabbed her and moved himself over her. He looked down into her eyes and ran his fingers through her hair. Bulma's shocked face finally softened before Vegeta leaned down to kiss her. The happiness that radiated off the two was evident. Little did they know that across town, someone was plotting against them.

* * *

"My, my, my," an effeminate voice spoke up. "It's been nineteen years since I last saw you. How did everything turn out with you and the woman?"

"She died after giving birth to our child."

"Oh, how very unfortunate. What about the fool's bastard?"

The man smirked. "That's actually what I'm here to talk to you about. The boy must pay. He must suffer the same way I did when I lost my wife. And I think I have just the way to do it."

He slid a picture of Bulma with Vegeta a few days prior.

The other man smiled evilly. "I think I just might be able to help."

"Thank you, Lord Frieza."

"Please, we've done so much business together. Let's drop the formalities."

"As you wish," Vegeta's "father" replied before leaving Frieza's office.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So who expected that last scene? More of that will be explained next chapter.


	19. Meeting Tarble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or the characters.

Vegeta's "father" had been thinking about everything for the longest time. He'd get drunk mourning the loss of his wife, and then beat the heck out of her son he despised so much, the one that took her away from him. He hated Vegeta and he always would as he would constantly be a reminded of what he almost lost and still ended up losing eventually. It was a reminder of _him_.

Vegeta's mother had been married before. She always told her son about the man she had loved. She never would tell him when he died, but the truth of the matter was that he died suddenly after she found out she was pregnant. She didn't want Vegeta to grow up without having a father, so she never told him that her current husband had been his step-father. His father had never gotten to know she was pregnant and that _he_ was there to pick up the pieces.

He always had feelings for her, and when she accepted the proposal of her high school sweet-heart, he grew bitter and cold. He went so far as to go to the biggest mob boss in the city to end the man's miserable life. After his death, the mourning widow was so lost, and vulnerable, so he made his move and found out she had been pregnant with the other man's child and had yet to tell him.

"What do I do? My son can't grow up without a father."

The man smirked; he had his ace in the hole. "Don't worry, my dear. I will be his father."

If only she had known what he would become, yet alone wasn't already. She agreed, even though she didn't love him, and when she did want to leave him, she felt too much fear to even try. There was something about him and she didn't know what it was. That's why she wanted her kids with her mother and father. They would have taken excellent care of both of them.

But Vegeta had yet to learn any of this. Sure, his mother did leave the confession of his true father in the journal, but on the day of the anniversary of his death, which would be coming up in a few months. That day would probably be the most difficult day Vegeta would have to face, second to his mother dying.

* * *

"It's so big," Tarble marveled at the sight of all the tall buildings. Mrs. Briefs had the driver take them to the park for the "get together."

"Yes, that's called a skyscraper," Vegeta replied.

"Why?" Tarble asked tilting his head.

Both Bulma and Vegeta laughed at his piqued curiosity. "Because it's so tall that is looks like it's touching the sky," Bulma answered.

"Really?" Tarble asked looking back up. "Wow, Bulma, you're really smart."

Vegeta looked over at Bulma and smirked causing Bulma to blush. She cleared her throat and said, "Thank you, Tarble. That was very sweet."

Tarble hugged Bulma to both hers and Vegeta's surprised. "I like you, Bulma. You're really nice."

Bulma hugged the boy and rubbed his head. "I like you too, Tarble. You're a good kid."

Tarble smiled up at her and Vegeta's heart got caught in his throat. It had been so long since he'd seen Tarble smile like that. He never smiled as brightly after he heard about what happened to their mother. But now he finally had that spark back, and it was thanks to Bulma. Vegeta had never been more grateful to have anyone in his life before. He reached for her hand and grasped it tightly. She looked over to him and saw the raw emotions in his eyes. She smiled and squeezed his hand, silently letting him know that she would always be there for him and be there for his brother.

* * *

When they got to the park, Vegeta had to catch Tarble before he started running around. The doctors may have said he was starting to get better, but he still had a ways to go before he could run all over the place. It was hard on him because he was such an energetic kid and wanted to do what everyone else did and beyond. Vegeta would support him in anything as long as it didn't interfere with his health.

The party ended up ending early as Chi Chi and Juu had both been called home. Everyone loved Tarble, especially his innocent and jovial nature. The fact that even though the kid had been through a lot in his life and was still this happy spoke wonders about not only their grandparents, but Vegeta himself. It was evident that Tarble loved his older brother and looked up to him. Other than Raditz, Goku, and Bulma, everyone thought that Vegeta was cold most of the time, but seeing how he interacted with his little brother changed everyone's opinion in less than a few minutes.

Vegeta thought that, since it ended so early, they should walk back to Capsule Corp. It wasn't too far of a walk and it would be good for Tarble to get some exercise and build up more strength. Bulma agreed and Tarble got excited, but Vegeta made him promise not to run ahead. Tarble agreed and took both Vegeta's and Bulma's hands making the two teens smile.

"So the brat is back," their father said from a distance. "Well, this could work out even better than I thought. Too bad I have to wait for anything to happen, but hey, that's probably best. Lead them into a false sense of security and wait for them to let their guard down. Enjoy this, boy. You have only three months left."


	20. Silent Proposal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or the characters.

The month had passed by very quickly and Vegeta's grandparents had finally found a house in the city. Tarble really didn't want to leave, but Vegeta promised he and Bulma would visit every day and even stay over. Tarble's face lit up which didn't go unnoticed by his grandparents. They hadn't seen him this happy in a long time.

Tarble ran over to hug Vegeta and Bulma. "I love you guys."

"We love you too, squirt," Vegeta replied kissing his brother's forehead. "You be good."

"I will," Tarble said. "Can I ask you two a question?"

"Go ahead," Bulma responded.

"Do you love each other?" he asked innocently.

Bulma and Vegeta both looked stunned by his question. Vegeta's grandparents found it all very comical. Vegeta and Bulma exchanged glances. They both knew how the other felt, but they never voiced it to each other.

Without looking away from Bulma, Vegeta gave his answer. "Yes, Tarble, I love her."

Bulma felt tears of joy threaten to fall, but she didn't want to worry Tarble. "I love you, too, Vegeta."

Vegeta smiled and, ignoring the others in the room, kissed the woman he loved. When they broke away, they stared lovingly into each other's eyes.

"Yay, does that mean you're my sister now?"

Both teenagers blushed as Nappa laughed and said it was time to go. He thought it would be best to give Vegeta and Bulma a little reprieve from the intense questioning of the seven year old.

* * *

When Bulma and Vegeta were alone, they talked more about where their relationship was heading. The two of them were lying in the bed in Vegeta's room in each other's arms.

"Bulma," Vegeta said with his voice filled with emotion, "there is no one I'd rather be with than you. There is no one else I trust the way I trust you."

Bulma put her hand to his cheek. "I feel the same way about you, Vegeta. When I closed myself off to everyone, you were the only person I could talk to. You saved my life and protected me even though you never had to. I love you and I always will."

"If that's the case," he said getting up and walking over to his dresser. He took out his mother's engagement ring that had belonged to his great grandmother (or so his mother told him). "It's strange how we have known each other for such a short time, yet I feel like I know everything about you," he marveled while staring at the ring.

Bulma joined him over by the dresser and hugged him from the side. "We do know each other. We've both been through a lot."

Vegeta chuckled lightly. "That's putting it mildly," he joked a little dryly.

"Vegeta, I have something to tell you," Bulma whispered.

Vegeta looked away from the ring to her. "Yes?"

"The reason I was at your mother's grave that morning…you lost her the same day I lost my parents, well, my real parents."

Vegeta's eyes widened slightly, but then he smiled sadly at her. "Maybe they all met up and figured out a way to get us to meet."

Bulma laughed agreeing that that was probably what happened. "They wanted us to be happy," Bulma replied.

"You make me happy," Vegeta told her.

Vegeta took the ring and placed it on her left ring finger. He kissed her passionately and when they broke apart, they looked into each other's eyes making a silent promise to each other. They would never abandon the other and no words were needed to explain how they felt.


	21. Dreams and Intimacy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or the characters.

"So you had a good time with your brother?" Nappa asked on the drive home.

"Yeah," Tarble said happily. "And I really like Bulma. I hope he marries her."

Nappa and Turna chuckled. "Why do you say that?" Turna asked.

“Because she's nice to me," Tarble replied although his voice was guarded. He didn't want to tell his grandparents about his dream.

_Bulma had been awake all night and could not get to sleep no matter how hard she tried. She got up to go to Vegeta's room, but heard Tarble whimpering from his. Bulma went to go check on him._

_The little boy was tossing and turning in his sleep. Tears were streaming down his face. Bulma sat down next to him and gently touched his shoulder._

_Tarble instantly woke up and started breathing heavily. "Bulma?" he asked hoarsely while he tried to relax his breathing._

" _Hey, sweetie, it's okay," she cooed while wiping his tears and hugging him close to her. She had to calm him down. He couldn't overexcite himself like this. Neither of them noticed Vegeta standing in the doorway._

" _I had a bad dream," Tarble confessed._

" _Do you want to talk about it?" Bulma asked._

_Tarble nodded. "Veggie got hurt and had to go away and I was all alone," the little boy cried. Vegeta stiffened when he heard how hurt Tarble had been by the dream._

" _Hey, don't worry about it," Bulma said reassuringly. "Vegeta will never leave you. He loves you too much. Besides, he's too stubborn to let anything happen to him or you. It was just a dream."_

" _Bulma, can you stay here for a little while?"_

" _Sure, Tarble, I'll stay."_

Tarble smiled remembering how much better she made him feel and now that he knew the she and his brother loved each other, he wanted them together.

* * *

Vegeta woke up and looked around his dark room before his eyes landed on Bulma. He pushed her hair away from her face and smirked at the memories of what had occurred over the last few hours. He had, in his own way, proposed; they got intimate; everything was perfect.

"Vegeta?" Bulma called sitting and rubbing her tired eyes. She was met with his lips briefly.

"We should get dressed," he suggested, "before your mother and Dr. Briefs get back from that party and start asking questions."

Bulma smiled at him brightly before getting out of the bed. She kissed Vegeta on his cheek and left for her room. Yes, perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This chapter was for sweetness, next chapter is where the action begins...


	22. Only the Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or the characters.

Bulma looked at the test with her mouth agape. It had been two months since she and Vegeta had slept together and although she should be slightly panicked by this, she wasn't. She and Vegeta loved each other and would be getting married and now they would be starting a family as well. She knew that Vegeta would feel like she did right now, both concerned and yet so happy. But first she had to tell her mother and hope she could break it to Dr. Briefs lightly.

"Bulma?" her mother called from the other side of the bathroom door. "Are you alright in there? You have been in there for a pretty long time. Are you sick?"

"Not exactly," Bulma replied. "Come in."

Mrs. Briefs entered the bathroom and saw Bulma there holding a pregnancy test. "Bulma?"

"It's positive," Bulma said smiling. Mrs. Briefs didn't know how to react, but she knew that Bulma and Vegeta were engaged and that they were mature enough to handle this situation.

"Are you going to tell Vegeta?" Bulma nodded.

"Why would I keep this a secret from him?" Bulma asked. "We're going to have a baby."

Mrs. Briefs smiled. The fact that Bulma trusted Vegeta to take this with grace made her feel like this wouldn't be so difficult on her child. "I'll try to break it to my husband gently, but I would suggest you and Vegeta get out of the house for tonight."

"Okay, mother." Bulma moved to hug her. "Thank you for understanding."

* * *

"Hey, Vegeta, what brings you here?" Mrs. Son asked.

Vegeta shrugged. "Just thought I'd stop by," he replied. "Is Kakarot home?"

"Actually he's with Chi Chi. She said she had something important to tell him. My mother and woman's intuition says that my son got her pregnant."

Vegeta blushed and cleared his throat. "You seem calm about all that."

"Well, he's got a lot of support and he and Chi Chi are engaged, so it lessens the blow a little bit. Didn't he tell you?"

"Yes, about the same time I told him Bulma and I were engaged."

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Mrs. Son exclaimed. "I always worried about her when we had her with us. Bulma was so closed off to everyone. You changed that, Vegeta. You both deserve happiness."

Vegeta was ready to run away now because of Mrs. Son gushing over him.

"Oh, mom, let the boy breathe," Vegeta heard Raditz say.

"Oh, you're right," Mrs. Son said. "Well, I better go back to making lunch. I hope you'll join us, Vegeta."

"I'll think about it," he responded.

* * *

"So what's up?" Raditz asked.

"I'm not really sure," Vegeta replied. "Bulma has been acting strange lately, but when I ask her she says everything is fine. I'm worried about her."

"Don't worry about it, Vegeta," Raditz said. "She wouldn't lie to you. You know that. I'm sure she'll tell you soon, but just sit tight knowing she's not in any trouble."

"I guess you're right," Vegeta admitted. "Well, I better get back to her."

"Don't worry; I'll make sure my mom isn't too heartbroken that you left," Raditz joked making Vegeta laugh.

"Thanks."

* * *

"Hi, Bulma," Tarble greeted.

"Hey, sweetie," Bulma greeted back. "Does your brother happen to be here?"

"No, just me and grandma," Tarble explained. "Come in."

Bulma smiled and followed the boy inside.

"Oh, Bulma," Turna acknowledged. "It's good to see you again. To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"Vegeta went out a little while ago and I had something important to tell him, so I came to see if he was here."

"Oh, well, maybe he went to visit one of his friends," Turna guessed.

"Hey, Bulma, can you take me to the park?" Tarble asked.

Bulma looked over to Turna who smiled. "I don't see why not," Bulma replied.

"Yay!" Tarble cheered. Before he could get overexcited, Bulma placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't even think about it," she said grinning. Tarble giggled and took her hand.

"Let's go."

* * *

"Oh, Vegeta, Bulma went to your grandparents' house looking for you," Mrs. Briefs said when Vegeta returned home.

"Did she say why?" Vegeta asked.

Mrs. Briefs kept a straight face. "No, she just said it was something important," she lied.

"Oh, well then I'll head over there," Vegeta told her. "Thanks."

Mrs. Briefs smiled at the boy before feeling like something was wrong. She hadn't felt that earlier when Bulma had told her about the pregnancy, but now there was certainly something in the air and she was worried for her daughter and soon-to-be son-in-law.

* * *

"Bulma, I'm glad Veggie and you are going to get married," Tarble revealed.

"Really?" Bulma asked in surprise. She hadn't really talked to Tarble about his feelings on this.

Tarble nodded. "You made me feel better when I was scared and Veggie's happy."

Bulma smiled and told him, "I'm happy too. I love your brother with all my heart." Just then Bulma felt a jolt and looked around the park. Everything seemed normal so she shrugged it off as being nerves. "Well, we better get moving. We should get you home before dark."

"Okay, sissy," Tarble said causing Bulma to blush and smile. She really did love Vegeta and his family. He had been the best thing to ever happen to her.

"You're not going anywhere." Bulma froze and turned to look at who had just said that. The men standing behind her and Tarble looked like thugs. Bulma put Tarble behind her and, before she could tell him to run, both had cloths over their mouth and drifted off to unconsciousness.


	23. Final Proposition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or the characters. Just my ideas.

It was night by the time Vegeta reached his grandparents' house. They were worried that Bulma and Tarble hadn't come back yet. Vegeta was worried too.

Vegeta then drove his bike to the park and saw that Bulma and Tarble weren't there. He couldn't help but fear something terrible had happened. His fears were met by a note held down by a rock.

_Come to the warehouse on Main Street by 9 PM, ALONE! If you don't show up or tell anyone else about this little get together, they will both die. Tick-tock, Vegeta._

Vegeta clenched his fists around the paper. Other than his father, he had no idea who would want to hurt him and he knew his father wouldn't play this game. He would learn how right he was.

* * *

"Frieza, I don't understand why you are luring him here," Vegeta's step-father said. "We just have to kill them to get to him."

Frieza smirked. "Plans have changed, my old friend. I want your son to work for me. I'll let them go if he agrees."

"This wasn't what we agreed upo-" He was silenced by a shot to the head.

"How unfortunate," Frieza said thoughtfully while wiping a small bit of blood off his face. "Now I'll just have one extra body to clean up." He then heard the sound of the warehouse door opening. Frieza smirked. "Show time."

* * *

"Bulma! Tarble! Where are you?" Vegeta called desperately into the dark warehouse.

"They're safe," Frieza said sinisterly from the darkness. "For now."

Vegeta couldn't see in the dark and didn't recognize the voice. He growled in irritation. "Who are you?"

"An old associate of your step-father's," Frieza replied. "We had some differences of opinion so I had to end him."

"Step-father?" Vegeta asked in surprise.

"Oh, that's right. He wouldn't have told you, would he? Well, Vegeta, nineteen years ago on this day, your step-father hired me to murder your father. Your mother had yet to tell your father that she was pregnant and she was so depressed and vulnerable and your step-father offered to be your father. Obviously she accepted the offer. Anyway, enough of story time. Let's get down to business."

To say Vegeta was angry was an understatement. He was about to attack Frieza when a dim light illuminated his little brother and fiancé, both unconscious.

"Now, now," Frieza cooed while aiming the gun at the two unsuspecting innocents, "don't do anything stupid. You wouldn't want my finger to accidently slip, now would you, my boy?"

"Your what?" Vegeta snapped when Frieza called him “his boy.” "Over my dead-"

"Actually over their dead bodies. Either you join my organization or the two of them will die. Make your choice, Vegeta. Time is running out."

Vegeta clenched his fists and closed his eyes. He knew the only way to save them was to give into this freak. However, if he did that, he could already tell that Frieza would most likely never let him see his family again.

"I'm losing my patience, Vegeta," Frieza said darkly. Then it hit him what was taking the boy so long to make his decision and sighed. "If you join my organization I'll let you take them to the hospital personally with the car and allow you a few hours to say your goodbyes."

"I…" Vegeta didn't want to say goodbye to the two people he cared about more than anything in the world; but if he didn't give in now, then he'd be saying goodbye to them in a different way…like his mother. He chose the lesser of two evils and prayed he was making the right choice. "I accept."

Frieza smirked and unlocked the chains of the two captives while still holding onto the gun. He laid the two on the ground and then stepped back letting Vegeta pick them up.

"Veggie?" Tarble asked meekly when he felt Vegeta's touch.

"Sh, don't try and talk right now. I'm going to carry you on my back. Can you hang onto my neck?" Tarble nodded. "Okay then."

"Where are we?"

Vegeta fought back tears through each question. He didn't know how hard this would be. "Please, Tarble, just wait until I get you and Bulma to the hospital."

"Why?"

"Tarble, please…"

Tarble quieted up and grabbed onto Vegeta's neck. Vegeta then picked up Bulma gently bridal style. He looked back to the smirking Frieza and said nothing before heading out to the car Frieza had prepared. After placing the two in the back seat in sitting position and buckling them, he drove as quickly as he could to the hospital. He needed to make sure they were okay.


	24. Painful Goodbyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or the characters.
> 
> Warning: This is, by far, the most depressing chapter (I think) that I have written for this story. But don't hate. There will be an epilogue and a sequel. I always was a sucker for happy endings...in the long-run.

"I need help!" a doctor called to his coworkers as Vegeta brought Bulma and Tarble into the hospital. "What the hell happened?"

"They were drugged," Vegeta replied. "When I found them, they were alone." Vegeta had to lie or he was sure Frieza would find out and kill them.

"And who are you to them?" the doctor asked.

"Tarble is my little brother. He has a pre-existing lung condition from when he was a baby. I'm sure his records are on file here already. Bulma is my fiancé."

"Okay, you need to wait out here while we check them out. I would call whoever cares for these two."

Vegeta nodded and went outside to call his grandparents and Bulma's mother. After he dealt with the worried adults, he went back inside.

"You may see your brother now," a nurse said. "We are still running some tests on Bulma."

Vegeta nodded and took this chance to see Tarble.

* * *

"Veggie?" Tarble said weakly. Seeing him like this was painful and Vegeta felt that the only one he could blame was himself.

"Hey, squirt," he greeted teasingly, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. This would be the last time he could be with his brother and it was killing him inside.

"What’s wrong?" Tarble asked. "The doctors said I would be okay."

"I know," Vegeta said. "I was just so worried about you."

"What happened?"

"It's not important anymore, Tarble," Vegeta told him. "Can you promise me something?" The boy nodded. "Can you promise me that you will beat the odds the doctors placed on you? I always believed you could. Can you promise to try?"

"Okay, Veggie, I promise."

Vegeta kissed his forehead and turned away as he let the tears fall. He walked over to the door and made sure his brother wouldn't see him crying. "I love you, Tarble. I always will."

Tarble didn't understand why his older brother was talking like that, but he knew something was up. Kids could always tell these things.

* * *

Vegeta was finally permitted to see Bulma around the time his grandparents arrived with Mrs. Briefs. She looked somewhat lifeless, but he knew she was still just sleeping.

"I wish you hadn't met me," Vegeta whispered. "Someone else would have helped you, someone who didn't have a sick and twisted father…step-father. You wouldn't have been kidnapped. You wouldn't…"

Vegeta knew it was showing weakness, something he always tried to hide from his step-father, but he allowed himself to cry the same way he had when his mother left him. Now he was doing the leaving.

"Vegeta, what's wrong?" Bulma asked quietly. He felt her hand on his cheek, but he couldn't look at her.

"You should have never met me," Vegeta told her now that she was awake.

"Vegeta?"

"I put you in danger," he continued.

"It wasn't your fault."

"Yes, it was. Bulma, I need you to promise me something."

"Vegeta, you're scaring me. What's going on?"

"Bulma, the man who kidnapped you was I'm guessing a mob boss. He threatened to kill you if I didn't join his organization." Vegeta turned away from Bulma and stood up so he couldn't feel her gentle touch. "To get you to the hospital, I had to give in or he would have shot you both. I have to go soon."

"Vegeta, you can't."

"I have to or he'll go after you both again. Just promise me…promise me you'll be there for Tarble. I know that after this he'll probably hate me for leaving, like in his dream."

"You heard that?" Vegeta nodded. He turned to look at Bulma and she saw how much he was dying inside with every word spoken. The drying tears didn't make him look any better. "Oh Vegeta."

He rushed over to her and kissed her for that last time before a new round of tears made themselves known to both parties.

"I will always love you, Bulma."

"I will always love you," she said cupping his face. "And I promise I will be there for Tarble, and I will make sure he doesn't hate you."

Vegeta kissed her forehead and left the room. It then dawned on Bulma…she never had the chance to tell him she was pregnant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: And onward to the grand finale


	25. Epilogue: Never Alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or the characters.
> 
> Warning: Somewhat bitter-sweet ending leading into a sequel that I can promise will eventually have a happy ending. Enjoy!

"Come on, Bulma," Chi Chi whined. "You have to come."

"I don't know, Chi," Bulma said. She had been depressed since Vegeta had left and with everything else going on.

_Tarble was in therapy, as per his grandmother's suggestion. After Vegeta had left, Tarble had this fear to be alone. Someone had to be with him at all times. Bulma, Nappa, Turna, and Mrs. Briefs all took turns spending time with him. When he went to school, he usually stayed around the teachers, but he was always on guard waiting for someone else to disappear._

_Mrs. Briefs and Bulma moved out of Capsule Corp when Dr. Briefs found out Bulma was pregnant. He was enraged and called her every derogatory name in the book. Bulma didn't care until he started badmouthing Vegeta. Mrs. Briefs had heard what happened from Bulma, slapped the man in the face, and demanded a divorce. She just couldn't take it anymore and Bulma didn't need to put up with it either, especially with the baby on the way._

_Nappa and Turna happily took Bulma and Mrs. Briefs into their home. Bulma brought all of Vegeta's things with her. She put all of his clothes in the closet with hers as if he were there and kept his mother's journal on the nightstand. She knew that one day he'd be back for it. Bulma had found his mother's wedding ring in his dresser drawer and made sure to put it in a safe place. She would never give up on him. He would return and she would marry him as they had planned._

"Why not?" Chi Chi whined some more.

"Because I'm getting so big, Chi. I'll look horrible in a dress."

"That's not true, B," Goku replied. "You're having a baby. You look beautiful all the time like Chi Chi does." Chi Chi and Bulma smiled at Goku's innocent comment. Normally if a girl's boyfriend said that to another girl, it meant something, but Goku was NOT like other guys. "Besides, Chi Chi said she found a dress that looked good on her and you will too."

"Exactly!" Chi Chi exclaimed. "You'd be surprised how many dresses will cover it up."

"I don't want to go to prom, guys," Bulma responded raising her voice a little. "It won't be the same without-" She stopped herself and both Goku and Chi Chi frowned. They knew how much she missed Vegeta, but they hoped she'd go to prom and they would keep her mind off of him. No one should ever miss their senior prom.

"Please, Bulma," Goku pleaded. "Raditz said he'd take you."

Bulma chuckled through her tears. "Thank you, Goku, and thank your brother for me too. If it means so much to you, I'll go."

"Yay!" Chi Chi cheered hugging her friend.

* * *

Vegeta never stopped watching her. He always kept his distance on any of his breaks from being an enforcer (and somehow finishing his high school work without attending). It didn't take a rocket scientist to see that she was pregnant. He started saving up money to put in her account once he figured out how to hack it for both Tarble and the baby.

One day, when the house was empty, he broke in. Well, he used a key, but he was still technically breaking in. He went upstairs and found the room Bulma was staying in. It was so obvious by all of the paintings on the walls. Vegeta looked over to the nightstand and found his mother's journal and turned it to two sections in the book.

_Well, my son,_

_If you came to this section of the journal, then congratulations. You're going to become a father. I understand that becoming a parent is difficult, but it is the best thing anyone can ask for. I know I have said it before and I will always believe this: you and your brother are the best things that ever happened to me. I need to admit something to you now. I was terrified when I was pregnant with you, but not at the prospect of becoming a parent. I knew there would be a day where I had to tell you this. Your father is really your step-father. The day I found out I was pregnant, your real father was taken from me. I never found out how, other than he was murdered. Your real father was a great man, a lawyer and a kind-hearted soul. You definitely got his personality. He would have loved to have known, but I didn't get to him in time. You may be asking why I chose to find someone else, but I must tell you, the idea of raising a child alone is very difficult and I needed help. But I still loved being your mother. So just promise me, that whoever the lucky girl is, you let her know that you're there for her. She needs you, Vegeta._

_All my love._

_This should be an exciting day for you, Vegeta. Your senior prom. I'm sure you will look very handsome. I don't have much advice except wear a tux, make sure the colors match the dress of your date or are neutral, and don't forget the corsage. I wish you could have heard me laugh at that. Just be yourself and have fun. You've worked so hard and you deserve a night of fun. Just no drinking! Haha, sorry, I wouldn't be your mom if I didn't give at least one lecture. Anyway, have fun. I love you._

Vegeta had the night of the prom off and he was sure the harpy would convince Bulma to go at some point. The theme, he already knew, was masquerade, meaning he could get in without calling attention to himself and spend this one night with Bulma. He found, after a few weeks, that he couldn't live without her.

* * *

"You look very pretty tonight, Bulma," Raditz told her. Bulma's hair was curled with part of it up in a ponytail. Her dress was navy blue and covered her stomach up pretty well.

"Thank you," she said meekly. She felt weird being there with her best friend's brother and fiancé's friend.

"I know you wish he was here," Raditz admitted. "I just didn't want you to sit at home while everyone was here having fun."

"I know. I appreciate it. I just wish he didn't have to miss this." Anyone who didn't know her would have thought she meant the dance, but resting her arms over her stomach implied something else.

"Knowing Vegeta, he'll fine away." Bulma didn't notice Raditz slipping her hand to another. She only noticed when she looked up and saw a masked man a black tux with a navy blue shirt and hair like a flame.

"Oh my…" she trailed off. The man smirked and looked over to Raditz. Bulma turned to face Raditz who just winked and ran off.

"Is it really you?" Bulma asked when the two of them were alone, tears already forming.

Vegeta lifted her mask and wiped away her tears. "Of course it is. You didn't think I'd let you go to prom alone, now did you? I have never left you alone and I never will."

Vegeta put his hand on her stomach and they both felt the baby kick. Bulma smiled brightly at him and removed his mask.

"You know, most girls would think it's creepy that a guy is stalking them," she teased. "Thankfully, I'm not like most girls."

Vegeta smirked at her and hugged her close to him. "Thank you for keeping my mother's journal. I wanted to let you know that I will help any way I can with the baby…I just can't-"

She cut him off with a kiss. When they broke apart she said, "I understand, Vegeta. Just know, I will always wait for you."

"As soon as I get out of this, I will be with you. We'll go on with our lives. This I vow to you."

They never did go back to the prom, but to the park, where they would always find solace from the hectic lives they would now lead; however, they would always know they were not alone.

~End~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Keep an eye out for the sequel, I Will Never Leave You. Have a goodnight :D


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